10 Pounds

Robert Ballagh, better known as a painter and graphic artist than a banknote designer, was commissioned to redesign the entire Irish pound series in the late 1970s — a deliberate cultural choice to move away from the Britannia-influenced imagery inherited at independence. The resulting series, of which this note is part, was among the first in the world to feature living Irish artists' work adapted directly for currency production.

Two signature combinations appear across the series run, reflecting personnel changes at the Central Bank. The Doyle/Cromien pairing covers the earlier dates; O'Conaill/Mullarkey takes over from March 1995 through the note's final dated issue before euro transition preparations began in earnest.